The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1887-06-16
TO TENNESSEE AFOOT.
A Pedestrian TOUR THROUGH
NORTH-WESTER CAROLINA.

Entertaining Description of PORTION
OF Our State About Which Little Has
Heretofore Been Written.
For tie Sentinel.
BY PROF. L. B. WURRESCHKE.
PAPER NO. VIII.
The ponds from which the noun
tain takes its name are only small
puddles i'll the grassy planes on the
top. Now, over roads, the like OF
which | have never trodden, for
rocks, for deep, black mud and roots
or stumps of trees, we reached the
new steam saw-mill on the top,
which an enterprising man from
Charlotte had lately started, hauling
his boards of cherry wild cherry
to Abingdon, as the nearest railroad
station. There we could find nobody
to guide us to the corner-tree Of the
three States, which we knew to be
near at hand. A certain man by the
name of Miller would know and
would lead US, they said, but he was
living over one mile away: and how
could we find our way to a small
house in this mountain labyrinth? ?
With the help Of one of the young
men, we penetrated under indescrib-
able difficulties at last through the
woods northward, and came to a
small house in an open side gully.
It was not Miller's, but a mans
named Parker. He was willing to
guide us, and he knew everything
about the boundary lines perfectly
well, having himself gone with the
State survey not long ago. So we
arrived in due time at last at the
desired tree, a tree inscribed with
many names, where Virginia, North
Carolina, and Tennessee meet |
did not myself enjoy the pleasure of
sitting in North Carolina, while one
foot rested ia Virginia and the other
in Tennessee; the ground was too
damp for my taste, but my son did
so, while I walked round the tree
and traced out by the surveyors
marks the State lines, just as they
appear on the maps, that certain
queer corner which exists just here,
and which has its origin in the fact
that the Tennessee survey began
from the White Top Mountain, go
ing westward, while the North Caro-
lima survey began on the seacoast, and
going westward arrived some miles to
theSouth of the beginning ofthe Tenn.
line. We had to travel now a very
devious road, almost doubling back
on our track, till we came into a
sort of road which, after a long
descent, brought us at last about 3
p. m. to the Cut Laurel Gap, lying
good deal to the southwest of the
Pond Mountain, on the very State
line between North Carolina and
Tennessee. All directions and rec
i concentrations now failed us; even
a name given to US by one Of our
best authorities proved almost apo
cryphal. We traced it indeed at last,
but the owner lived quite out of our
route. Along large and most TO-
mantle creek, Gentry creek, through
a valley closed in by steep noun
tains, we now walked on and on for
a long time. The most gigantic
white pines | had ever seen grew
here in abundance, making such foot
logs the like of which [ never knew.
The water in the creek was deep
and as cold as ice. We know it, for
we tried it, but just for one moment.
At last we reached something like a
plain, on the other side of the ridge.
We were now good piece inside OF
Tennessee, and we thought already
to perceive in the people we met and
conversed with something different
from the North Carolina people
We were strengthened in this i'm
preston as we got deeper into Ten
nessee and staid there little longer
! OF course, the difference is bat s
shade, as it were. The laws of The
State seem to be different from ours
| in some practical details. Raleigl
as seat OF State government Is al
most unknown-of course, never
thought of-but the great eentra
place here, and in everybody's mouth
is Knoxville. Witnesses, jurors
, &C., are summoned to Knoxville
We travelled on without exactly
knowing our whereabouts, and a
: last found q good stopping place a
I the house of a deputy sheriff of John
son county, his house being situated
about six miles northwest of Tay